Recent History Of Escalating Mass Shootings In The US

As the following summary by the New York Daily News shows, both the frequency and severity of recent mass shootings in the US (and globally) have been getting bigger and more acute. Bring on the discussions as to why this is occuring in our day and age.

Oak Creek, Wis.: A white supremacist shoots six people and a responding policeman at a Sikh temple before shooting himself in the head in August 2012.

I remember a story my grandfather told me of kids that shot up his rural school with a tommy gun... albeit at night. Being going on for a long time... it's just that hype and sensitivity to the issue are only now hitting fever pitch.

Create a situation where many people feel they have nothing to lose, and this is what you get.

This was the precondition for many idiotic episodes in history. I'll invoke Godwin's law, even -

Or how about starving a whole country via currency manipulation. It always ends with violence.

Now, make it easy by making sure there are a lot of places and situations where it's not legal to defend yourself - much less someone else. Claiming self-defense is admitting to a homicide, after all, and now we go to court to see if it was "justified".

Oh, let's go ahead and ban guns. Look how well that worked with drugs, or alchol. Gave us criminal organizations - made the worst of us wealthy and powerful. Let's try again, maybe the results will be different this time...

Even if one does not believe it is possible one must at least consider the correlation between the rise in school shootings and the rise of (violent) in home video games over the last 15-20 years, even further back if you consider electronic video arcade games.

There may or may not be causation, but it is something to think about. The conditioning of the mind works mostly via saturation and repetition.

Agreed. Violent movies have been around forever (the "gangster" movies of the 30's, for example, featured plenty of violence - though it was far, far more "cartoonish" than the vivid stuff of, say, The Untouchables (DeNiro version) and Scarface). But in-home video games - where you can play GTA and Saints Row - are a relatively new phenomena.

Agree totally and as the parent of a 7 yr old I am disturbed by the overt violence in video games--glorifying cop killing, etc. to the point you wonder how these things are legal. But the argument that root cause is there is to me similiar to suggesting that XXX material leads to rape--not so.

Since we are entertaining the realm of "post hoc ergo propter hoc", why not explore the fact that only in the last 15 years have we had "facebook", "myspace", "Justen Beaber", "Bigest looser", and "New kids on the block".

Just because I (seriously) consider something doesn't mean it's valid or that I believe it. If nothing else, considering something considered outlandish or even ridiculous exercises a few brain cells, something most violent video games do not.

Even if my thought process is faulty or misguided at least I am attempting to think for myself rather than checking with the TV (or my political party/religious denomination) to find out what I should be thinking. I will never move out of my mental rut unless I try (and fail) many times. I consider myself lucky that I continue to fail spectacularly. :)

But for the fact that many of the perps have never played a violent video game... The reason many of the younger perps have played violent videogames is because they're incredibly popular... they've also looked at porn, stole some liquor out of their parents' cabinet, and tried to play doctor with a classmate or two...

I'll take the opposite stance... that violent videogames actually suppress the urge to act out in a violent fashion.

I understand your point. But they don't look at porn, drink from the parent's liquor closet or try to play doctor with a classmate for hours and hours on end, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year.

Like I said.....at least consider the saturation and repetitive issues of (sometimes obsessive) (often violent) video game play. I've read some interesting articles that point out the changes in the child's brain during and after long term video game play. Not sure what to make of that info, but it is out there to read and consider.

Even if one does not believe it is possible one must at least consider the correlation between the rise in school shootings and the rise of ex-hippie parents over the last 15-20 years, even further back if you consider the decadence of the 50s.

There may or may not be causation, but it is something to think about. The conditioning of the young mind works mostly via saturation and repetition from parental "guidance" or rather lack of.

the changes in the child's brain during and after long term video game play

ALL long-term recurring exposure to stimuli changes the brain. We're still dealing with teevee. The whole world is one big ongoing uncontrolled experiment in human behavior.

It's definitely worth tracking what different stimuli correlate with, but the more you learn about the way the brain works, the more difficult it is to maintain belief in stuff like free will and morality and cognition.

"It's definitely worth tracking what different stimuli correlate with, but the more you learn about the way the brain works, the more difficult it is to maintain belief in stuff like free will and morality and cognition."

Roger that and well stated. This recognition becomes ever clearer the deeper we travel down into the rabbit hole of our mind. We are not what we think we are, and what we think we are has been carefully conditioned into us beginning with the regurgitated world view conditioning of our parents who lovingly train us before handing us over to the state.

The best any individual can really do is know himself. If nothing else, a person can learn to minimize the damage they inflict on others. It's not something most folks ever manage to do, though--there are a LOT of distractions out there.

The USA isn't the only nation with a high gun ownership rate and easy access to firearms.

Violent TV & Video Games are not unique to the US, they are a global trend.

Desensitization to violence by experiencing violence is a widespread.

The rise of insane mass killings (particularly those targeting schools) are a US & Chinese phenomenon.

Even ignoring China, the issue would be incredibly complex- nationally both the parenting and educational mechanisms are largely dysfunctional, but the incidents seem to occur only outside of economically disadvantaged & crime ridden communities, which ironically have better access to the so-called "mental healthcare system" ...

Statistically, the world was a lot more violent before the electronic age. But then again, you had to actually fight for your meals back then too. Sometimes even kill your dinner. Yeah, I agree CD, let's go back to killing our food on a regular basis. Might be surprised how much more respect for life the youth would have or perhaps people could start raising the children for a change. Novel concept I know.

b. A nationwide (indeed worldwide) mass media, who will broadcast the name and face of the killer 24/7 for the next week.

To a disturbed, alienated young man the lure of instant, eternal fame is intoxicating. Why just quietly end your own life, when you can go out like this kid, and be a monster to the folks you hate? The template is Columbine. And the media, who ought to know by now that notoriety is the goal of these killers, just can't help themselves as they spray his name and face on every screen in the country... ensuring it all happens over and over again.

You wanna cut down on this? Let 'em kill and die in anonymity. Eventually, the copycats will stop.

Yes, very interesting. And in that same time period we saw a rise in various medications.

Hell, we saw a rise in government size, we even saw a rise in LED lights. I know I'm being an ass. I actually do agree with you in a way but not as you suggest. I do believe it is a cultural problem. But violence in games and movies is a SYMPTOM. In other words, you are not addressing the real problem is why we have those violent games and movies and why society is buying them.

Here is what all the little liberal gun control maggots don't understand.

Take it from a Canadian. We have gun control and now only the criminals have guns, and people still get shot.

It would not surprise me at all, if Obama sends false flag suiciders every month into random places to shoot up kindergardens until the American people are stripped of guns and then Homeland Security can start the genocide or encarceration of its people.

Guns are for when the King of England gets in your face. You blow their inbred monarchist heads off.

If I punch a guy in a NYC bar and the cops ever even show up, they're not likely to want to do the paperwork for a "violent crime." It usually requires an ambulance or a clear power-differential for us to want to start braceleting hosers, eh?

Don't bother Sophist Economicus, the mass media white noise has their ear. People don't understand that money printing, guns, metals, referendums, and the right to free assembly are all fundamental human rights according to common sense.

The secret service can still deliver guns and drugs to the black market. Criminals can still obtain them like they do. If I have to explain why they do that (predominately to minority groups) then I suppose you're lost Bill.

Do you see the slippery slope yet Bill?

Liberal Canadians want their ass wiped, I actually know people who like taxes. Have you ever heard of such idiocy?I have to coexist with these numbnuts.

The more you're enemy flies brain scanning drones over your head and the less you are prepared with the right to protect your kids, the more you submit your will.

Thanks Flak, when you factor in Canada has the same population as the greater NY area, that number sure seems different doesn't it? Especially when you look at the fact that honest Americans are armed to the teets and decent Canadians are like cows in a barn.

People can't compare Canada to the US because there are no declassified documents showing that the Canadian government (which is not next to Mexico) has a history of oppressing minority groups and feeding them drugs and creating the climate of poverty.

Where do we go from there when we discuss why we should have Tyrannical (All US Presidents since Kennedy and after Garfield via polital donation and bribery or worse Zionism) Government be the only "citizen" armed?